Attitude? Me?

Okay, how long has it been since I've posted here? Almost seven months. Hmmm.

Well, Officer, it's this way. I have had some serious problems finding a way to post photos to the web, either here or on Ravelry. First of all, I got a new computer. And we had moved, so my wonderful graphics program that I had used for years was packed away in some box somewhere. I kept thinking that we would get to that box soon, but what I didn't count on was that we moved twice. So, that box was pretty well buried, and we had far greater priorities than finding it.

So, I got on the web (with DH's help) and found a nice little free graphics program, so that I could edit my photos enough to post them to the web. I learned how to use it, and was able to get a couple of photos posted to Ravelry by e-mailing them from my phone to my Yahoo account. (I use the camera on my phone to take the photos.) Then, DH and I decided that it was just too expensive to maintain web access for our phones, and discontinued that. So, I was stuck again.

Finally, after some help from some nice new friends on Ravelry, I figured out how to download photos directly from my phone to the computer without having to e-mail them. There was a bit of a learning process again, but I think I have that mastered. I'm not sure I'm totally thrilled with having to spend time synching everything on my phone to my computer every time I want to transfer one photo, but at least I can now post photos to my blog and to my Ravelry project page.

Let's see if it works.



Yay!!! I just previewed it and the photo looks just like it should. Now, I suppose I should tell you, the reader, about the photo that is now being displayed here. This is my current PP, or Portable Project. It's a nice little piece that I'm making by using the Patriot Scarf pattern, which can be found at in-my-mothers-name.blogspot.com/2008/01/scarf-pattern.html.  I'm using the colors from the Ohio State University.  I'm not particularly a fan, but there are a lot of them around here, and I figured someone will like it when I'm done.  Now, bear in mind that I haven't woven in the ends yet, and I'm not sure I'm absolutely enthralled with the way the sides look, but it's nice enough for my purposes.

Except for one thing.  I didn't really think about it, but I should have made it in the colors of my niece's school.  She's on the middle school volleyball team, which I understand is doing quite well this year.  Oh, well, maybe when I finish with this one, I can make another one in her school's colors.  Then again, I may make it in just a straight 2 X 2 rib pattern, rather than the broken rib I'm using for this scarf.  We'll see.

Do not knit while drunk.

'Nuff said.

Okay, so I found this on someone else's blog, and she said that anyone could use it, so I did. (My own answers, though.)

What’s your favorite color gummy bear?
Green

What is the sexiest part of the opposite sex’s body?
Wrists, especially the inside of them (strange, yeah, I know)

Have you ever made up/sang a song for someone you cared about?
Yes. Nuff said.

Ever had a song sang about/for you?
Probably. I really can't remember.

Is there a baby in the room with you right now?
Nope

Do you know how to dance?
I used to be quite the disco bunny. Oh, now that's dating me.

Where do you sing the most, in the car, the shower or other?
In the car

What is your favorite thing that is green?
My car.

What did your last text message say?
Something about my job.

Boxers, briefs or boxer briefs?
Well, if it's DH, then briefs. Or, better yet, bikinis.

What is your middle name?
Lynne. Out of 103 kids in my high school graduation class, I think more than 50 of them had the same middle name -- guys included.

What is the way to your heart?
Ice cream.

What do you smell like?
Fritos, because that's what I'm eating

What’s in your pocket?
Lint?

Anything in your mouth?
Frito crumbs

Ever hurt yourself playing Wii?
Had sore shoulders a time or two, when playing tennis.

Do you have freckles?
No.

How many languages can you say “Hello” in?
Let's see. Spanish, Hawaiian, German. Does Pig Latin count?

What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
Race to Witch Mountain.

Ever jumped/fallen/been pushed in a pool with your clothes on?
Yes. Back when I was working at summer camp. Yes, I worked at summer camp.

Are you wearing any clothes that you wore yesterday?
Some blue jeans that I wore for only a couple of hours last night.

Are you in love with someone right now?
My husband, desperately.

What’s the last thing you watched on TV?
Currently watching VH1's Top 100 One-Hit Wonders. Actually, kinda fun.

Who is your daddy and what does he do?
Bob. Walks the dog.

Can you do the alphabet in sign language?
Yes.

Do you wear glasses?
Can't walk across the room without them.

What can you hear right now?
The TV, the breeze outside.

Did you feel better or worse or the same yesterday?
Better

Ever been overseas?
Hmmm. Hawaii, Cancun. Does that count?

What are your plans for today?
The day's almost over. Here's what I planned to do:
Sleep late -- done
Eat Indian Food -- done
Knit/crochet -- done (Peach Sherbet scarf, Blue Denim shawl)
Loaf around -- doing it now

Do you bite your nails?
Occasionally

Do you like your feet?
I have mixed feelings.

Do you sleep well at night?
It varies.

Okay, that's enough for now. I guess if anyone actually reads this and wants to use these questions, they're more than welcome.

I know, I know. I posted all of two entries to this blog before I ran out of steam. But this time, I know I'm going to stick it out -- by hook or by crook. One way I'm going to try and keep on track is by telling some friends about this blog, and asking them to get after me if I don't post at least once a week. We'll see if it works.

I'm currently unable to post new pictures of my projects, due to the fact that I haven't yet loaded my graphics program onto my new computer. So, I'm going back to something that I finished right before Christmas. It's special to me, because the pattern designer contacted me and asked if she could feature it on the Ravelry pattern page. Well, I have to tell you that I was extremely flattered, and of course gave my permission. Here's the photo:




This is a pattern that I've used several times, and have thoroughly fallen in love with. It's called the Oblong Granny Square Scarf, and I first made it for the Special Olympics Scarf Project. When I needed a quick Christmas present for my niece, I made one up (in a shorter version) in the same colors as her winter coat. I also found a pattern for a hat that looked almost as if it was designed to go with the scarf. What pleased me more than having my photo featured on Ravelry was hearing that my niece put her scarf and hat on right away as soon as she opened them. That made me feel very good!

Okay, I'm going to list all of my UFOs, and see how long it takes me to get them all done:
-Insomnia, a scarf knit with two colors of Lion Brand Fun Fur
-Ocean Waves, a chevron/ripple scarf knit with Red Heart Strata, Surf colorway
-OSU logo pillow, crocheted from an original design
-Baby jumper, knit from Berroco's Missy pattern -- all I have yet to do is to sew the shoulders together and put on the buttons
-Mardi Gras bag, an original design knit with Lion Brand Fancy Fur -- just have to line it and put on the handle
-Plait Cable Purse, knit bag -- just have to sew it together, line it, and put on a handle
-Sideways Shell Baby Afghan -- crocheted preemie afghan, have to figure out some kind of border
-Stitch Sampler Afghan -- crocheted piece that's been hibernating for years (yes, really!), need to dig it out and get it finished pronto!
-Doctor Who scarf -- a knit monstrosity that's already taller than my 6'4" husband, and not even half-way done
-Eight Pocket Bag -- crocheted purse that just needs to have the handle sewn on and lined

I'll be posting more information on these projects, and hopefully reporting their completion, soon. But, for now, I have to go and pack. Did I mention that we're moving on Friday? Gack!!!!!

I'm grumbling this morning as I sit here looking at my cabled scarf. (I've completed about two feet of it, by the way.) I'm grumbling because I'm going to have to frog about 2 inches or more of my lovely cables. I've found a mistake.

Last night, I was admiring my nearly-perfect little cables, when I noticed a bump in the otherwise smooth stockinette stitches of the cables, about two inches back. Upon further investigation (pulling on the lump), I was horrified to discover a dropped stitch. And, apparently, at the same time I dropped the stitch, I did something to add one so that my overall stitch count was undisturbed. That's why I went ahead with my work for so long, blissfully unaware of my goof. Now, since I don't know what else to do, I'm looking at the prospect of unravelling my hard work. *sigh*

I guess, since one of the purposes of this blog is to see my knitting from a spiritual viewpoint, I should see what kind of life lesson this has taught me. The obvious thing is to see this as an analogy for the way God forgives sins. No matter how long ago the sin took place, or how big or small it may have been, God pulls at the thread of our lives until the sin is gone, and then re-works that thread until it forms something beautiful. A truly lovely thought, that is very reassuring. One that I'll probably share in Sunday school tomorrow.

But maybe there's something else here. Maybe this tells me that I CAN go back and mend some of my past mistakes. Or, maybe as I look at other mistakes that I've made as I have merrily made my little cables -- mistakes that don't show to the untrained eye, and have ignored -- I can ignore those other "mistakes" that I've made in life, knowing that they don't really matter to anyone else but me.

Hmmm. Now I've given myself something to think about today.

Oh, DH thought it was very funny that I used a stir-stick from Starbucks to mark my dropped stitch so that it doesn't work its way back any further. Hey, it was the first thing I could find last night, when I was panicking about preventing the laddering from going further down the scarf. And, some people do go to quite a lot of trouble to tea-stain items that otherwise would be white as the driven snow. Right?

Well, here it is. My first entry in my new blog. I've always had trouble maintaining blogs before, but maybe this time it will be different. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I started a new project today. It always gives me a tremendous rush to start something new; maybe that's why I keep starting projects without finishing them. Hehe. But this time I'm not just starting a new project; I'm learning a new stitch.
 


Lately, I've been knitting scarves, and my new project is no exception to that. I figure that it's a good way to learn -- just the same stitch over and over, back and forth. By the time I get 5 or 6 feet done, I've pretty well mastered that stitch and am ready to move on to the next one. This time around, I'm learning to knit cables. Cables fascinate me, and I can't wait to learn how to do all kinds of them and put them into projects of my own design.

So, I found a pattern for a nice little scarf to start out with. It's called the "Beginner's Super Extremely Simple Cabled Scarf." Now, if that title alone doesn't empower you to forge into new territory with confidence, I don't know what will. I'm almost ashamed to admit that it wasn't my first choice; I had found a pretty little bag that was also made with two pretty straight-forward cables, but after I had done a few rows it just didn't look right. It was probably just me, but I frogged that project after about 5 or 6 rows and started on this one instead.

I'm using some of my good old favorite Red Heart yarn; it's so easy to work with that it just begs to be used on a beginner's project. (At least, that's what I think.) And the pattern calls for number 9 needles, which with this yarn gives a nice loose tension that's still tight enough to hold the pattern. I'm using the new wooden needles that DH bought me for my birthday, including a wooden cable tool. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but the feel of the yarn sliding over the wooden needles is so much nicer than with the metal ones.

So, here I sit on a Sunday morning, quietly working away while DH is asleep in the next room. I'm feeling a real sense of satisfaction from starting not just one, but two projects --- my new scarf and my new blog. Hopefully, with God's help, both of them will prove successful. Yes, I know, I should be in church. But I had a really bad night last night, tossing and turning and stewing in my mind about various matters that I'll probably get into with later entries, and when the alarm clock went off I just couldn't get out of bed.

But, in some strange way, I feel a real sense of communion with God this morning. I feel energized in a strange way, and ready to face the day and accomplish some things that have been waiting for quite a while now for me to tackle them. One of them is to make some soup; it's a cold morning and it will be nice to warm up with a bowl of soup later on.

It's going to be hard not to spend the morning knitting, though.